Christmas Moods
by PadfootProngs7
Summary: Harry's away on a mission for the aurors during the CHristmas season. Ginny's missing him terribly. Will someone's unexpected appearance lift her spirits?


Ginny sighed once again and rested her head on the frosted window.

"Ginny, dear, of course you're going to be fretting over it if all you do is sit there. Come help with the salad."

Ginny gave one more sigh and stood from her spot at the window, making her way into the Burrow's kitchen. It was Christmas Eve, and some of the family was coming over for dinner. As far as she knew, it would only be Hermione, Ron, her mum and dad and herself. Harry was away on a mission, one that Ron had gotten out of, being a trainee. He'd been gone for two weeks now, somewhere in northern Wales. He was supposed to have been back the day before, but she'd received a letter from his Department Head that the mission would take at least another week.

And Ginny missed him terribly. They'd been inseparable since she had graduated from Hogwarts a few years ago, and she was attached, too used to his presence. This was the longest he'd been away on a mission, ever, and Ginny hated it. She'd been so used to waking up every morning, taking care to dress, excited to see him. She missed greeting him when either of them arrived at the Burrow, late from work. She hated eating dinner by herself at her tiny flat. He would always join her; instead, she had been at the Burrow, or Ron and Hermione's most of the evenings.

"Ginny, would you be a dear and shred the lettuce please?"

"Yes mum."

Slowly, methodically, Ginny tore the green leaf into small pieces, trying desperately to think of something besides Harry. It was hopeless. The food in her hands kept reminding her of how much he hated tearing lettuce for salads when they ate together.

When she finished with the lettuce, Ginny dried her hands and made her way back into the sitting room where her father was sleeping. She sat down, intending to take a nap, but couldn't seem to close her eyes. After what seemed like hours of twisting and turning, Ginny growled angrily and sat up, pushing her red hair from her face.

Christmas was supposed to be a happy occasion, not one to fret over your boyfriend who was tracking down some dark wizard across the country. Ginny's eyes roamed around the room, stopping on the mantle covered in pictures. She stood, and moved to the end where she knew the picture she most wanted to see was.

She picked up the photo and traced his face with the tip of her finger, feeling the dull ache in her chest increase. The photo was from Ron and Hermione`s wedding. Her and Harry were dancing off to the side, talking in hushed tones, grins on both their faces.

"Hello!" Spinning around, the picture fell from Ginny's hands as she met Hermione's eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, Ginny."

Ginny let her breathing even out before she replied. "It's fine Hermione." She pulled her wand from her back pocket, a habit she had acquired from Harry, and quickly repaired the frame.

"What were you looking at? Oh..." Hermione approached Ginny's side and saw the picture as Ginny hastily placed it back on the mantle. "You miss him a lot, don't you?"

"I- yes. I can't stop thinking of him at the moment. It's so quiet... at least Gwen worked us so hard the past few days I've gone to bed exhausted... I just wish he wasn't gone for Christmas. He was supposed to be back by now."

Hermione smiled sympathetically and wrapped her arm around her sister in law's shoulders. "He'll be fine Ginny. He's supposed to be back next week, right?" Ginny nodded glumly. "Try not to think about it. He'll be back before you know it."

-----

"Ginny, are you alright? You've been out of it all evening," Ginny turned to glare at Ron as she marked her place in the disguised photo album.

"Oh, I'm perfectly alright, Ron." She shot him a dirty look and turned back to the photo she had previously been looking at. Instead of concentrating on the picture though, she concentrated on her brother's conversation with his wife.

"Ron, she's missing Harry. Don't upset her further!"

"He's only been gone two weeks! He'll be back this time next week."

"How do you suppose you would fare if I left for two weeks?"

Ron shrugged; it was obvious to Ginny he knew he was stuck. Not wanting to hear anymore, Ginny tuned them out and turned back to her book open on her lap. Of course, she was looking at pictures of Harry. The page was currently focused on a picture Ginny adored. It depicted four year old Teddy sitting on Harry's lap, being tickled mercilessly by Harry's fingers.

Teddy, she knew, missed Harry a lot too. He'd only been over at her flat twice during the two weeks Harry had been away so far, and he'd been as miserable as Ginny.

As she went further and further into the more recent photos, Ginny felt her chest constrict. All through dinner, she'd been resisting the urge to break into tears. She didn't think she'd be able to hold them in anymore and stood quickly.

"I'm going. I'll see you all tomorrow evening." And without waiting for a reply, she was throwing on her green cloak and was gone.

-----

Ginny arrived home, her face screwed up in her efforts not to cry. Bursting through the door of the small house, Ginny ran up the stairs to the second floor and stumbled into their room. She collapsed onto the bed and let the tears fall.

"I mi-miss yo-ou so mu-uch," she sobbed. She spent the rest of the night lying face first on the bed, eventually falling asleep, her cheeks tear stained.

-----

When she woke up, Ginny had to pull her eyes apart. Feeling disoriented at first, the past evening slowly came back to her, making her cheeks burn in shame. He was coming back soon; she needn't have broken down like that.

Sadly, Ginny stared out the window of the room, watching the sun rise. Usually, she would be hurrying to get ready so she could apparate to his flat across the city for the morning.

As the morning wore on, Ginny did everything and anything to concentrate on something besides Harry. She check all the gifts to make sure she had everyone's, she picked out her outfit for the evening (a short, pink satin dress) and she reorganized all of her clothing in her bureau. Finally, it was time for her to leave to help prepare at the Burrow.

-----

"Ginny, dear! Come right in! Hermione's already in the kitchen helping with the turkey. Be a dear and go help her." Ginny obeyed and entered the kitchen.

Hermione turned at the sound of the door opening and closing and smiled warmly at her friend. "Hey Ginny. Happy Christmas! Oh, I love your dress!"

"Thanks," Ginny replied quietly. "Happy Christmas."

Hermione, sensing that Ginny was still quite upset, steered clear of the subject looming overhead. "So, shall we start with the turkey?" Ginny nodded thankfully and the two girls got to work.

"So Hermione," Ginny attempted a conversation. "Has Ron given you your gift yet?"

Hermione beamed. "Oh yes! He gave me this wonderful book called _'House Elves Have Feelings Too.' _I've started to read it, and it's so fascinating! He also gave me this wonderful quill, ink and parchment set. They're all deep purple..."

Ginny tried to smile, but she felt it rather came out as a grimace. Hermione, sensing where Ginny's thoughts were going, hastily changed the subject. "How are the Harpies doing?"

"Oh..." Ginny delved into her team's statistics and practises and matches, glad for a distraction.

Later that evening, as the sun started to set, the family gathered around the table in the Burrow. There was Percy and his wife Audrey, Fleur, Bill and their two daughters Victoire and Dominique. George had brought his fiancée, Angelina. Charlie had come alone and Ron and Hermione were there as well as Andromeda and Teddy. Everyone was eating and laughing and talking, glad for a break from their jobs. Ginny was grateful that no one was mentioning Harry.

As the evening wore on, all moved to the sitting room, where gifts were exchanged. Opening her last gift, Ginny laughed. Inside a small box, was a pair of earrings, in the shape of lightning bolts.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked, grinning. Still laughing, Ginny leaned over and hugged her friend.

"It's great, Hermione. Thanks so much." Ginny stayed quiet for most of the rest of the evening. Soon, others started to leave, claiming they needed sleep. Shortly, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Ginny's parents were the only ones left at the Burrow. As Hermione, Ron and her mum cleaned up and her dad fell asleep, Ginny slipped upstairs to her old room.

She wandered around, her fingers trailing on the wall. Inexplicably, she thought of Harry's seventeenth, when she had pulled him into her room...

When she was done remembering, Ginny stood in front of her mirror and pulled her new earrings from her pocket. She leaned towards the mirror and carefully inserted the earrings into the small holes she'd had done when she graduated Hogwarts.

Bored, Ginny sauntered down the stairs and to the window facing the back garden. Her eyes were roaming the back garden when she saw someone appear from the air, at the apparation point. Not wanting to scare anyone else with a possible attack if it was just a Weasley, Ginny waited until the light from an upstairs window shone on the person's face, and Ginny paled.

Not believing her eyes, Ginny stumbled to her feet and sprinted from the sitting room. She ran through the corridor and banged through the kitchen doors, slipping and falling on the tiled floor, and kept going, ignoring everyone's cries,

"Where are you going?"

"What's wrong?"

"Ginny, what are you doing?"

Ginny flew through the Burrow's back doors and raced to the man quickly approaching the house.

"Harry!" She choked out, and he looked up, surprised.

"Ginn-"

She ran straight into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. Harry grunted with the force f her leap and wrapped his arms around her waist, staggering backwards a few steps before stedying himself.

"Merlin, I missed you..." Ginny mumbled into his shoulder. Harry tightened his grip on her and buried his face in her hair.

"Me too..."

-----

Hermione sprinted to the door Ginny had just rushed through and out, onto the porch. Ron and Mrs Weasley followed her. Hermione squinted, trying to see who Ginny had tackled, but it couldn't be him...

"It's Harry! He's back!" Ron exclaimed. His mum, whose eyesight was quite up to par with the young ones squeaked, shocked.

"Oh, my dear! We must get him inside! He must be hungry!" She started forwards, but Hermione gently stopped her.

"Why don't we give them a little privacy first?" If Mrs Weasley looked like she wanted to argue, she didn't.

-----

Finally, after what seemed only two seconds, Ginny pulled back from Harry, leaving her arms around his neck. "How did you get back so soon? I got a letter saying you'd be back next week..."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, it was supposed to take an extra week, but we managed to catch the man we were looking for yesterday. I would have been back sooner, if we didn't have to fill out the stupid report..."

Ginny laughed quietly and looked up at Harry's face. "Happy Christmas, Harry."

Harry grinned and leaned his face into hers. His lips were only a hair's width away as he said, "happy Christmas." And their lips met.

**Author's Note - Here's your fluffy Christmas one-shot! I hope everyone enjoyed Christmas and got all they wanted. Remember though, Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus' birth, not to pout because you didn't get a new iPod or cell... God bless you all!**


End file.
